Air drier



March* 7, 1933. I R. RLMEMELM` 1,899.5988

AIR DRIER Ilm! klima/rd @wem/ehn R. RUEMELIN March 7, 1933.v

AIR DRIER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 8, 1929 HHHH [HHHHHHIL plum Y z8 Fig@- March 7, 1933.

R. RUEMELIN AIR DRIER Filed NOV. 8, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 gmk/Moa 'RM1/dirti @UEM/@uw 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 RjRUEMELlN AIR DRIER Filed Nov. 8, 1929 March 7, 1933.

Patented Mar. 7, 1933 Unirse STATES;

RICHARD nUEMELIN, orl MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN AIR DRIERj -Application filed November 8,- 19.29. Serial No. 405,764.

My invention relates to an air ldrier adapt` ed to be used in coiiiiectionwith compressed air to provide ameans of drying and cooling the compressed air or removal of oilyaporsv in the air. The driermay be placed in the pipeline of the yair so as to remove ther ob. jectionable moisturein the same.

A feature of my invention resides in an air drier of a compact nature having a simple structure which is adapted to operate automatically to remove the objectionable mois-` ture and oil fromthe air and'to Lcool it so that when the compressed airis used in conjunction With paint spraying, sand blast equipment, or other equipment, suchl as die casting and pneumatic tools, the compressed air is furnished from my drier with the surplus moisture removed therefrom. Compressed air from my drier may be mixed With n fi sand for sand blasting without danger `of clogging the. air and sand line. My drieris also very efficient With paint spraying because yWater or oil destroys the coating and in die casting Water in the compressed air line forms dangerous pressure, Whereas, in pneumatic tools Water cuts the lubricant and Wears out the tools. All of these disadvan-v tages in the ordinary use of compressed air are overcome by my drier.

In using compressedair with sand for sand blasting, it is desirable to maintain the air with a minimum moisture content and/to remove the excess moisture before the airv comes in contact With the sand or the mixing equipment. air drier is inexpensive, operates automatically and does not retard the operation of the compressed air but removes the moisture to form an automatic drier and also lowers the temperature of the compressed air in a Veryeiiicient and desirable manner.

lt is a feature of myl invention to provide an air rdrier having means of collecting'the moisture as the air passes through the same so that the operation is automatic and to provide either Water or air cooling means to the drier so that the excess moisture content may be removed from the air entirely automatically in the use of my drier. My drier is of a compact construction, having no moving n operation.

parts and may lbe desi ned With various' `shaped internal baiiles va out which the air passes so as to collect and drain the moisture' content in the air by a combinedV cooling-and Whirlpool action as the air automatically passes through the drier. Further, I provide a trap meansin conjunction with my drier which drains away the moisture as it is collected and operatesautomatically to dis-y charge the moisture and keep the drier empty of excess moisture which it may collect in its A feature resides in a drier made principally of tWo parts Which are connected together to form the drier in its entirety and wherein the part of one portion may intertit into the part of they other portion of the drier, so that When the two parts are con-yv nected together they form the complete drier, all of Which'parts are compact and operate to dry and cool the compressed airr Which passes through the same.' l I A feature Yof mydrier resides in means for? cooling the same by a refrigerating medium suchy as a` refrigerating coil operable either by an electrically operated refrigerating means or4 any other refrigerating means adapted to direct controlledrefrigerant di-y f rectly about the air passageways for the compressed air ofthe drier.

'These features together With other details,- .Y

particular formation and arrangement of the parts of my automatic air drier for com# pressed air linesWill be more fully and clearly set forth throughout the specification and claims. i f

In the drawings:

Figure l illustrates a side view of mydrier' as it would appear in use with the drain trap in cross section. i 1

' Figure 2 is a section 'through my drier in the' type Where Water is employed tocool the same. ff

Figure 3 is a view on the line 3&3 of Figure f 2,'looking toward Vlone 'half of the drier with the parts in full lines. -k Figure pis a section of another form of my drier, Where the outer atmospherev is `used for cooling.

' Figure 5 is a section lon the line 5-5 of ico Figure 4, showing one half of the drier, each half being virtually the same.

Figure 6 is a vertical section of a form of my drier similar in function to that illustrated in Figure 2, but having the inner parts thereof of a slightly different formation.

Figure 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a side sectional elevation of a form of my drier.

Figure 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Figure 8.

Figure 10 illustrates another verticalsec-V tion of my drier.

Figure 11 is a section on the line 11-11 of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a vertical section of a form of my drier.

Figure 13 isfa section on the line 18-1301 Figure 12.

My drier A is primarily designed of a simple nature adapted to be used in air lines where compressed air is used for sand blasting purposes and the like, and where it is important that the compressed air have a uniformly dry nature irrespective of the outer atmosphere. In sand blasting the compressed air is mixed with the sand and under varying atmospheric conditions the moisture in the air is often detrimental to the operation of the sand blasting equipment. By my drier A I provide a means of automatically drying the air as it is used and the drier A is formed of two main parts 10 and 11 which constitute the sides of the drier. rlhe parts 10 and 11 are adapted to be bolted together cen# trally by the flanges 12 which are yformed on the parts 10 and 11 and which may be clamped together by suitable bolts 13 which extend through the flanges.y A gasket positioned between the iianges 12 provides a tight joint so that the members 10 and 11 are con nected together to form a single unit providing a compact air drier A of a very desirable nature for permitting inspection or cleaning. TheA parts 10 and 11 of the air drier A are more clearly exemplified in the section in Figure 2 and the side view in Figure 3. Each 0f the parts 10 and 11 are virtually of the same general nature excepting for minor details which will be hereinafter more clearly pointed out. The part 10 is provided with an l air inlet opening 15 which may receive the air inlet pipe 16. This inlet is at the top of the drier A so that the air is passed into the drier A at the top. The portion 11 is formed with an air outlet opening 17 and by means of the pipe 18 the air may be exhausted out of the drier A. g

My air drier A may be .cooled by means of the chambers 8 formed in each of the parts 10 and 11 and which may be connected with a water or refrigerating line by means of the pipes 19 and 20 so that the water may cir-` culatethroughthe water chambers 8..

channels or ridges' .22' against which the air Y entering through the opening 15 is adapted Vto strike in passing through lthe drier A.

1t is desirable to place thebaflles B with 'their outer ends projecting toward the adjacent portion 10 and 11 and in the form of the construction of my drier Ain'Figui-es 2 and 3 1 provide an innerzigzag wall formation7 such as 24, which carries on the apex of the inside of the Zigzags of thewa-lls 24 the bafflev membersiB `with theV retarding heads 21. This forms a zigzag air passageway25 from the upper chamber 26 which receives air from the inlet 15 and carries it to the lower chamber 27 where it is exhausted out through the opening 17.

1n ythe lower chamber 27 l provide a drain opening 28 which is connected by the drain pipe 29 to the drain trap 30. Vithin the drain trap 30 1 provide an automatically operated iioat valveC which is operated by the collection of moisture in the same so that when an .excess amount of moisture is collected therein, it may be discharged out through the discharge opening 31. i

rlhus in the operation of my air drier A the drier A is placed in the line of the compressed air leading from the compressor and reservoir for holding the compressed air to the line of use, the pipes 16 and 18 representing the inlet and outlet passageways or airline from the compressor and reservoir. Then asl the air is used for sand blasting as it passes from the compressor and reservoir through the air drier A it is cooled and dried and carried for use to the sand blasting equipment in a virtually uniform condition, that is, as to the moisture or oil content. The construction of my air drier A may be as large Vor as small as desirable for the particular in condensing the moisture therein and automatically collecting the moisture out of the air by my drier A. There are no moving parts in my drier and its operation is simple v and eifectiveso as to collect the undesirablel moisture in the compressed air before it comesY in Contact with' the sand and sand blasting equipment. This, is very important inthe successful operation of sand blasting devicesfand l have found my drier to operate most effectively.

In Figures 4l and 5 l have illustrated my air drier A designed with cooling flanges D which are formed to project from the walls 24C of the same and which operate to cool the air passing -through the drier A, taking the place of the water cooling means. .This form of my air drier also operates effectively in certain uses and sufflcientlycools the air passing through the same at the same time that the air is freedfrom its surplus moisture.

In Figures 6 to 13, inclusive, my air drier A isof the same lgeneral construction, having the same function for the relatively coeoperating parts. The air is inlett-ed into the passageway l5 and exhausted out of the passageway 1'? of each of these forms of my' drier A. In Figures 6 vand 7 the baiiles B are formed similarly to those in Figure 2, however, the

-side walls 24 have a somewhat diderent shape in that they are arcuated around the ends of the battles B rather than extending angularl n u D D to provide a zigzag air passage such as 25. ln Figures 8 and 9 thenortions l0 and ll are .o ,i J provided with inwardly projecting tubular portions 85 which are illustrated in cross section in the respective views and these tubularportions project in between each other when the two portions l0 and ll are clamped together. Each of these protruding tubular portions are hollowed to receive the water or refrigerant from the cooling chambers 8 on cachside and are `formed with channel grooves S22 which collect the moisturefas the air passes around the protruding portions ln the structure of Figures l0 and ll the protrudingj portions 36 from each of the portions l0 and ll are in the form of long vertically disposed members with vertical water or cooling slots 3'! extending into the same from the chambers 8. The protruding members 36 intermesh from the parts l0 and ll and are formed with moisture collecting grooves 38 f between upwardly projecting transverse flange members Y 39 projecting from the sides of the members 36. These members 39 provide a zigzag air passageway for the compressed air over the protruding .members 36.`

ln Figures l2 and 13 l have illustrated a form of air drier A wherein the portions l0A and ll carry tubular inwardly projecting portions Ll() which interlit when 'the portions l0 and ll are connected together. rlhese portions i-O are forni-ed with a series of star-lilre points in the form of ribs el extending along the hollow portions 40. The hollow portions in the-tubular portions 4:0 oonnectwith the water cooling compartments 19 and are closed on the outer end in the same manner asthe tubular portions 35 in the construction in Figures -8 and 9. The ribs 41 act to collect the moisture as the air passes over the portions lO through the drier A in this form, and.

thus themoisture is collected into the bottom chamber of the drier and carried out through the trap 30. My drier A operates to automatically remove the excess moisture from the compressed air as the same passes through the line of travel from the compressoi'and before the air is'miXed with the sand in sand blasting equipment. The simple structure set forth is such as to provide a drier which will not get out of order and which will thoroughly dry out the air to the extent desired, also removing oil vapors. Each of the structures of driers illustrated have the same general function and the flow of the air fromy the top to the bottom carries the moisture down to the bottom yportion of the drier where it is drained out automatically. The obstructing ribs vor ridges in the inner walls of the respective parts l() and ll act to collect the moisture and condense it as the airis cooled in passing through the drier.

.While they drawings illustrate various formations of my drier the function of eachvis identical to accomplish the lsame result automatically vas the air passes through the drier. l/Jhile my drier may be particularly yadaptedto compressed air used in connection with sand blasting equipment it is equally applicable to the drying of air for any desirablepurpose where it is important that the air be cleared of an undesirable amount of moisture and therefor my .drier is applicable to various usesand may be applied wherever preferred owing to its simple nature where the same results are desired. Ob-y vious changes may be made and other uses applied to the same than -those above set forth without departing from thepurpose the major part ofthe moisture is collected` out of the air passing through said drier.

2. An air drier for compressed air including a pair of members secured together, an air inlet in the top thereof, an air outlet in the bottom, air interrupting shoulders on said members positioned within an air passage through said drier adapted to collectv the moisture outv of the air, and means for automaticallyv draining the moisture collected by the drier out of the same.

3. A drier for compressed airfincluding,

a casing, an inlet passageway and an outlet passageway in said casing, a zigzag passageway formed by baliles on said casing to connect with said inlet and outlet passageways, cooling means about said passageway, and moisture collecting grooves positioned in each of said pasageways.

4. An air drier including a pair of members secured together, an inlet passageway and an outlet passageway in said members, a series of protuberances formed on said members in said drier, and a passageway leading over said protruberances to carry the air from the inlet to the outlet over the protuberances, whereby the protuberances are adapted to pick up and separate moisture from the air automatically as the air passes through said drier.

5. An air drier including, a pair of similar members adapted to be bolted together, an air passageway formed in said drier when said members are bolted together by spacing the inner walls of said members apart to Jform an irregular air passageway, and a series or" irregular protuberances projecting into said passageway acting as interrupters to automatically collect the moisture out of the air passing through said drier.

6. An air drier including, a pair of members connected together, each of said members forming a substantial half of said drier, the inner sides thereof forming irregular air passageways in said drier, inlet and outlet passageways connecting with said irregular passageways, a multiplicity ot protuberances positioned in said irregular passageways, and an automatic drain trap connected with said air passageways to collect and Adrain out the moisture collectedby said drier from air passing therethrough.

7. An air drier including, a pair of similar members each having similarly shaped inner walls to'l form irregular air passageways therethrough when said members are connected together, water cooling compartments in each of said members, inlet and outlet vair passageways connecting with said irregular passageways, and a drain trap connected in the lower portion of said drier to automatically drain moisture out of said drier which is collected Jfrom air passing therethrough. i

8. An airdrior comprising, members secured together, hollow protuberances formed in each of said members having inner closed ends, said protuberances projecting toward each other from cach of said members and in staggered relation to each other, water cooling compartments connecting with said protuberances to cool the same, and inlet and outlet air passageways to direct air over said protuberances which automatically collect the moisture out of the airV as it passes through said drier.

Y 9. An air drier adapted to automatically collect moisture from the air as it passes through the same including a series of members connected together, protuberances projecting from each of said m-embers arranged in staggered relation to each other, and means for cooling said protuberances whereby when air passes over the same it is cooled and the moisture is collected therefrom to automatically dry the air as it passes through said drier.

l0. An automatic air drier including, aV

passageway connecting' with said irregular air passageways.

l2. An air drier comprising, a casing, a series of baflles forming irregular air passageways, ends formed on said baiiles adapted to provide moisture collecting grooves, an air inlet at the top of said drierA connected with said irregular passageways, and an air outlet connected with said irregular passageways at the bottom whereby air passing through said drier is adapted to be automatically relieved of the greater portion of its moisture content.

13. An air drier and vapor remover for compressed air including, a casing, a series of zigzag passageways formed in said casing adapted to interrupt the direct passage of air, shoulders causing a whirling action of the air as it automatically passes through said drier, meansior cooling said passageways, and inlet and outlet openings for compressed air.

14. An air drier and vapor remover having, a casing, a series of ballles forming passageways through said casing a series of interrupting shoulders formed on said baffles, inlet and outlet passageways for compressed air, and refrigerating means for cooling said passageways, whereby compressed air passing through said drier is caused to be cooled and simultaneously interrupted to remove moisture, vapor and oil film therefrom.

l5. An air drier including, a casing, a series of baffles in said casing forming passageways therethrough, a series of protuberances on said battles causing whirling of the air through said passageways, refrigerating means for cooling said protuberances, inlet and outlet passa-geways connecting said irregular passageways, wherebyv compressed ioo ner walls acting to cool and dry air passing therebetween. Y

17. An air drier for compressed` air including, a casing comprised of two similar members secured together, an innerwall on each of said members, said inner walls spaced apart to provide a passage therebetween, a series of protuberances on each of said inner walls extending into said passageway, means for cooling said protuberances, an inlet passageway and an outlet passageway in said casing communicating with said passageway between said innerwalls,` whereby air may be passed through said casing and cooled by said protuberances.

RICHARD RUEMELIN. 

